The Faster I Sail, The More I Relax, Part 2
Here is my second story about my love for fast sailing. This has a very different outcome. Both stories make me think of the Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 Hour Rule. For more on this visit my last post intro, The Faster I Sail, The More I Relax, Part 1.
OK, now my Second sailing story from 2012
In 2012 my friend Liz Baylis helped me secure a ride with Buzz Blackett who owns, California Condor a Class 40 designed by Jim Antrim. Thank you Liz!
After a great phone call with Buzz, I was offered a chance to sail on the boat with the team in the Spinnaker Cup from San Francisco to Monterey Bay in late May. This was a shakedown for the team and to see if I fit in.
The Spinnaker Cup was a fun race with most of the fleet holding off on kites in a punchy NW breeze as we left the bay in the ebb. After an hour of jib reaching we set the kite. It was a fast race, getting in an hour before dark, we all clicked as a team. One of the best teams I have ever sailed with; Buzz Blackett, Jim Antrim, Kame Richards, Brent Draney, David Liebenberg, and me the East Coast Guy. I was invited to be part of the team that evening for the Pac Cup.
I arrived ten days early for the Pac Cup in July to help prep the boat.
The start of the Pac Cup was off St Francis Yacht Club in nice WNW breeze. We were out the bay quickly with three tacks. Two more just before sunset dodging a cement barge. The next day we set the A2 and where off and running along the high pressure ridge.
It is very rare too so quickly feel in tune with a team, and have so much fun doing it. We always had three on deck. Every hour one would go off, and the new person would grind the spin sheet to wake up. The kite trimmer sits right behind to the driver who has the main winch at their side. We never stopped working the boat the whole race, what a pleasure. Condor loves to be sailed very aggressive and driving a few night watches never going under 19 kts, on a 40’ boat was a blast.
The Pac Cup is a very different race for an East Coast sailor, easier in most ways, with fun waves to ride. The squalls are different then the East Coast. The squalls in the Pac Cup and now the TransPac that I have sailed can have a good punch, but no lightning and I have not seen over 40 kts, which is not the case on the East Coast. I am sure it happens but not in the two times for me to Hawaii.
I love driving the nights, you have to feel the boat, know your numbers, and push hard to gain in the race. We had Venus lighting up a few nights behind us which was amazing. One night coming on for the two am watch (we stayed on West Coast time), Jim Antrim said, “Ah go back to bed not much going on”. Now if you know Jim, you know something was definitely going on, so when I got on deck, I was shocked, there were stars right to the horizon. Kame and Jim both said, “Take 10 minutes and lie down to enjoy the stars”. The density right to the horizon was amazing. Satellites all over the place, I will never forget that night. Thank you Kame and Jim.
Four nights later was very different, no stars, no moon, Venus was no where to be found. Breeze was up and we still had full main and A2 sailing along at 18-20 kts. Around three am with Dave trimming next to me, and Kame grinding we were cranking along. Dave has such a good feel on the sheet with the little ease at the perfect time when we took off down the elevator. We were sailing the boat well.
With all that sail and 20-23 kts true we were at the bleeding edge. Remember it is pitch black out, we could not see anything beyond the bow. Then we both smelt the moisture and in 10 seconds we took off, breeze up to 26-29 kts. She was a hand full so we took her a little deeper, with not much room either way. Then within 30 seconds it was blowing 34-37 kts and the headstay had three feet of sag. Both Dave and I said OH SHIT, as the bow took off down the back of a big wave we could only feel. The last I saw of the mast instruments was Condor hitting 27 kts. Then the water came down the deck as we crashed into the next wave. There was no room to go up or down to avoid it. I could no longer see the instruments at the mast since it was all water. The water sent Kame flying and he landed on the cockpit sole. When the water hit me it was like a linebacker, wooh, harness went tight, I slammed into David right behind me, and then we popped out of the wave. All of this took seconds but felt longer. My thought was RIG PLEASE STAY IN THE BOAT. Headstay was still sagging three feet.
I had eased the main a lot before we hit the back side of the wave, as Dave did with the kite, and the vang. Condor was over loaded, and just before we took off down another wave with the headstay still sagged three feet and lost the mast Dave blew the sheet. I don’t know how the rig did not break, Great Job Hall Spars, and maintenance from Buzz.
Within seconds of easing the A2 shredded, and the main was still driving us at 19 kts, with vang off we slowed the boat down. By this time about 3 min max all hands had been on deck getting the kite down. Dave with Kame at the bow, Jim fore and aft, Buzz, and Brent on halyard bringing in what was left of the A2. Everyone stayed calm, went right to a job, minimum talk, just get it done and fast. What a team!
I was driving with a fully inflated Spinlock from the water impact. My life jacket inflated again later that night driving with the A5 up and less wind only 28 kts. Which is within the A5’s sweet spot, just a wet ride.
Shredded kite down, I still say sorry to Buzz for the beautiful A2. Buzz still says there was not much we could have done, which we all knew. The A2 was built by Pineapple Sails, Kame Richards and it was so fast. No surprise Kame’s sails always kick butt.
Condor does not have radar, with radar monitoring we would have known it was coming. It might have saved the A2. When I smelt the moisture (which was really the breeze with faster moving moisture) along with David, that was seconds warning in black moist night. No way would we have had the kite down in seconds with three on deck. And if we just let the halyard go it could have shrimped, not a good look at 20+ kts speed, rig would not have taken it.
We lost our top end without the A2. Also we hit something the next night. With Jim’s help the two of us built a temp bulkhead to keep the forefoot from splitting since the inside skin was split for about 18 inches, and moving a lot. But that is a different story.
Buzz, and the whole team are excellent seaman, very fast sailors, know boats well, prepare incredibly well, and are always looking out for each other. We are all friends and I see them whenever I visit San Fran, and I have sailed with Kame in two Three Bridge Fiasco’s.
Below enjoy the short video I did during the race. twenty year old cameras show their age here, but still fun to see.
Go out and find you’re fast, fun ride, and give your mind and body the full relaxation of success. Live life to the fullest, we only get one round.
See you soon, Paul